Warp stop-motion for narrow-ware looms



(No Model.)

I J. HARRIMAN. WARP STOP MOTION FOR NARROW WARE LOOMS. V v No 605,479, Patented June 14, 18981 v rrnn brains Artur union,

JOSIAH HARRIMA'N, F LOWELL, MASSAOI-IUSETTS.

WARP STOP-MOTION FORNARROW-WARE Looms.

$PECIFIGATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,479, dated June 14, 1898.

Application filed February 7,1896. Serial No. 578,335. (No model.)

To all whom it mayconcern:

Beit knownthat I, JOSIAH HARRIMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Common-: wealth of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement'in Warp Stop-Motions for Narrow-Ware Looms, of

which the following is a specification.

ric, elastic goring for Congress boots and My invention relates to narrow-ware looms" such as are used in weaving fabrics in which elastic threads, as of rubber, are introduced as warps under tension.

In looms for weaving elastic suspender fabsimilar uses, and other elastic fabrics it is obviously necessary that the elastic threads should be held under a considerable tension in order that the fabric, after weaving, may be elastic, and it is also necessary that all the elastic threads which enter the fabric should be under the same tension in order that the finished-fabric maybe of uniform tension throughout. The elastic threads when kept under a uniform tension are less liable to break than when their tension is variable.

A narrow-ware loom is usually in reality a number (about twenty) of looms, each weav: ing a separate weband having amain shaft, cam-shaft, and lay common to all said looms, and the number of elastic threads in such a loom is so great that it is impossible vfor the operator to watch them all, so that when the tension of the elastic warps is insufficient the fact is frequently unnoticed until the fabric is completed and removed from the loom, when the contraction of the properlystrained elastic threads in the subsequent process of steaming causes the fabric to crinkle and present ashriveled or puckered appearance where the unstrained elastic threads are woven in. Such imperfect pieces of the fabric can only be sold for waste at a price which varies from two to twenty per cent. of the price of the perfect fabric.

To insure a uniform tension of the elastic threads, I use a slack alarm or device which gives an audible signal to the operative when any such thread becomes. too slack, said alarm continuing to operate'until the loom is stopped, said alarm .being operated, by the closing of a normally open electric circuit containing said, alarm by the falling of a weight when an elastic thread slackens sufficiently,

such aweight being normally supported by eachsuch thread. The said electrical circuit is arranged to be broken by the movement of the shipping-rod to stop the loom,so that the alarmcannot be set in operation and the batteryrun" down a if an elastic thread should break during the night-time or during a holiday, while the movement of saidshippingrod to start the loom closes the circuit at one point, so. that when the loom is started the alarm is immediately 'set in operation if during the intervalof rest any elastic thread has beeen broken. a i

A gr'eatdeal of trouble and expense is commonly caused by the rubber threads sticking to each other and to the dents of the reed and thereby being broken'andworn out. To

prevent this, itis customary to sprinkle the rubber threads with pulverized chalk or other similar dust. or powder, which adheres to the rubber threads and prevents them from sticking to each other; but the most of this material falls on the floor and is wasted, be-

sides dirtying the" floor, and thesprinkling must be repeated at'frequ'ent intervals, requiring considerable time and care on the part of the operative. To remedy this, I cause all the rubber threads in entering the loom to pass over and in contact with the pile of a plush fabric, onwhich pile is placed the pulverized or powdered material, which is therebyeconomicallyapplied to the rubber threads and polishes their surfaces, so that they are not sticky and are not worn by the dents of the reed. By these means I am en. abled to weave several hundred more yards of fabric with rubberithreads of the usual length of about sixty yards before stretching.

I produce a more uniform andmbette'r fabric at a less cost, owing toxthe saving of time,

rubber, and material, save much of the labor of the operative, and the web produced is of the full length in a single-piece instead of beingin two or more pieces, asvery frequently happens. l j V In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a left-side elevation of so much of a loom provided with my improvement as is necessary to the understanding of the same; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the fast and loose pulleys, the driving-pinion, and belt-shipping mechanism, showing the electric switch; Fig. 3, an elevation of a part of what is shown in Fig. 1 at the rear of the loom, the frame being partly removed to show the plush or pile fabric over which the rubber warps are drawn, showing also some drop-wires and the contact-plate; Fig. 4:, a plan of the rubber warps passing over the plush; Fig. 5, a front elevation of the contact-plate; Fig. 6, arepresentation of drop-wires, contact-plates, buzz-bell, battery, and switch, all properly connected by wires; Fig. 7, an isometric perspective View of an elastic warp-thread and the upper part of a drop-wire.

The frame A, crank-shaft B, fast pulley b,

loose pulley b, cam-shaft D, having a gear cl,

engaged by a pinion'b on the crank-shaft l3, lay E, pivoted at e on the frame A and connected by the pitman F to the crank b of crank-shaft B, the shuttles G, drivenby belts g g, the warp-beam H, on which the rubber threads H are wound, tension-apron h, tension-link 7L2, tension-lever h tension-weight h, adjustable on tension-lever, the idle-rolls I, which change the direction of the warps of cotton or other fibrous material, the beltshipping fork j, between the tines j of which the driving-belt (not shown) runs, said fork being rigidly secured to a part of the shipping-lever J, pivoted on astud J rigidly supported on a loom-frame A to throw the belt from one to the other of the pulleys b b, are all of the usual construction and operation.

The front end of the shipping-lever J is horizontal and at right angles to the breast-beam a and is held in either of its positions by a latch-lever j pivoted on the front of the breast-beam a and having two notches 9' 3' each adapted to drop over the front end portion to prevent an accidental movement of said lever, the notch 7' being right behind the loop is, mentioned below. The rod K slides horizontally in brackets and has a loop or slot 70, surrounding the front end portion of the shipping-lever, and has a collar k provided with a finger 70 adapted when the rod is pushed endwise to strike on one of the inclines jig, with which the latch 7' is provided, and to raise the corresponding notch j g out of engagement with said shipping-lever, said slot 70 being long enough to allow of said latch being thus raised before the corresponding end of said slot is strikes the shipping-lever.

The parts last above named are also of the usual construction and operation.

On the rubber Warp-threads H are hung drop-wires Q, the same being wires or rods arranged to slide Vertically in horizontal metallic guides q q and having eyes or hooks 1 which catch over said rubber threads H and are sustained by said threads when the same are kept at the proper tension by the usual tension devices above named; but when any rubber thread becomes slack or breaks the corresponding drop-wireQ falls low enough to touch the corresponding contact-plate V and closes an electric circuit which includes, Fig. 6, the contact-plates V, the battery 0, the contact-springs t o a), an audible signal, as a buzz-bell X, and guides q, connected by suitable wires L, causing said signal to sound until the tension of the slack thread is increased or the broken thread is mended.

It will be seen that the contact-springs o r are stationary, being secured on the breast beam, while the spring '0 is secured to the shipping-rodK, Figs. 2 and 6, in such a manner that when said shipping-rod is moved (by hand in the usual manner) to the right to throw the belt onto the loose pulley and allow the loom to stop, the switch, consisting of said springs o o v, is opened, as shown in Fig. 2, and that when said shipping-rod. is moved to the left to start the loom the upwardly-projecting ends 0 of the spring o are in contact with the springs o o, as shown in Fig. 6, and the alarm or buzz-bell can only be operated when the loom is running.

The contact-plates V are elastic plates having ears V through vertical slots u in which are driven screws 1; or bolts to secure said plates to a wooden cross-beam a, which forms a part of the frame A and insulates said plates V from the metallic parts of said frame. The body of each elastic contact-plate V is inclined in such a manner that the lower end of a falling drop-wire scrapes thereon and cleans the surface thereof and thus makes a perfect contact therewith. I

By means of the slots 12 and screws '0 th distance of the plates V from the lower ends of the drop-wires may be adjusted to cause the alarm to sound at any predetermined amount of sag of the rubber threadsH.

The pieces U of plush are supported, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, upon ahorizontal part or cross-girth of the loom with the pile side up, andthe rubber threads run over and in contact with said plush, the pulverized chalk or equivalent material being placed on said plush and being retained thereon by the shaggy upper surface thereof, except so much of said pulverized material as adheres to said rubber threads. The action of the plush, either with or without the pulverized nonadhe'sive material, polishes said threads, as above stated.

I claim as my invention- In a loom the combination of a conductingplate, a conducting-guide, conducting dropwires, arranged in said guide and each adapted to be supported normally bya warp-thread out of contact with said plate, an electric circuit including said guide and plate, an alarm device arranged in said circuit and operated by the closing of the same, when a drop-wire falls, into contact with said plate on the break- IIC II S

ing or slacking 0f the thread which normally In witness whereof I have signed this specisnpports said drop-wire, said plate being of fication, in the presence of two attesting witelastic materialand inclined to the path of a nesses', this 28th day of January, A. D. 1896. 10 falling drop-wire in order that the fall of said JOSIAH HARRIMAN.

.Wire may scrape said plate and make a per- Vitnesses:

feet contact between said Wire and plate as ALBERT M. MOORE, and for the purpose specified. JOHN HARIMAN. 

